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Do you consider your personal politics when purchasing games? That's the question Gamasutra's Christian Nutt posed. (Full disclosure: Christian is a great friend of mine.) As a gay man, Nutt was conflicted about Shadow Complex. He loves the genre, but resents Orson Scott Card's anti-gay views. He said:

"When Shadow Complex was announced, I personally was torn. I'd already long since made the conscious decision to not support Orson Scott Card directly with my money. I also would like nothing more than to play a new game developed in the vein of some of my personal favorites -- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid, the game's two biggest influences."

Nutt used his Shadow Complex example to bring up other situations with touchy politics. Dragon Quest's Koichi Sugiyama has staunch right-wing views, going as far as to deny the Rape of Nanking. He broadens the discussion to include Whole Foods CEO John Mackey writing an op-ed against President Obama's health care reform. Should a gay man boycott Shadow Complex because of Card's views on same-sex marriage? Should a Japanese gamer that leans left not play Dragon Quest because of Sugiyama's political views? Should a consumer not shop at Whole Foods because they support ObamaCare?

It's an interesting and thought-provoking look at how personal politics may or may not impact purchasing decisions. (It's also one of the best gaming editorials I've read all year.) Let's go back to the question I first asked at the beginning of this article: do you consider your personal politics when purchasing games?